


just keep breathin'

by japrlls



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, car crash, lucaya - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 22:49:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15716700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/japrlls/pseuds/japrlls
Summary: in which maya and lucas are secretly dating, but a surprise incident forces them out of the shadows.





	just keep breathin'

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so glad I actually finished a story and I'm actually posting it!  
> Word count: 4821  
> Pairings: Lucaya  
> Genre: Angst, fluff  
> **There is suggestive content in this, but no explicit smut :)

Maya’s eyes darted to the clock once more. Hoping to earn extra money to fix up her wreck of a car, she had opted to take an extra shift. She worked at Topanga’s, and had been since Junior year -- having a familiar, friendly face as her boss sure helped motivate Maya to actually try at this job, unlike her brief stint at the Starbucks near her school. (She figured she wasn’t cut out for big corporations. Besides, Topanga paid her more money than she would’ve made there, anyway.) The frosty windows were nearly plastered with the December snow, no doubt piling up inches high outside. Many had fled New York when winter break arrived, hoping to avoid the predicted snow storms, but Maya and her friends had decided to stay back home. Riley had, of course, convinced them all to indulge her in Secret Santa; Maya had luckily pulled Lucas’ name. She figured getting her boyfriend a gift for Secret Santa was a good thing.

Oh, right.

Lucas and Maya were dating.

It had been sudden -- a few incidents (for example, a drunk Maya blurting out that she still liked Lucas to his face at the end of their junior year; not to mention the many, many close calls where Maya had been this close to just kissing him until their lips turned blue) had led up to a swell of passion. Maya and Lucas, the summer before senior year, had kissed -- and resulted in a relationship between the two. The catch -- oh, there is always a catch -- was that no one knew but them. Maya wasn’t ready to tell anyone, concerned about specifically Riley’s reaction (and also Zay’s -- no doubt their friend would be over the moon; he had always been rather excited at any prospects of Maya and Lucas). Lucas had agreed to this, and the two had been sneaking around since late August. 

No one knew -- well, except for Cory Matthews, who had been sworn to secrecy after walking in on a particularly heated moment between Lucas and Maya. After letting Maya and Lucas redress, Cory (somewhat begrudgingly) had agreed not to tell anyone. The incident had prompted Maya to feel like it might be time to spill the beans. Lucas had agreed, but they hadn’t decided on a where and when. Maya hadn’t wanted to make a big deal of it, while Lucas was ready to shout it from the rooftops. It wasn’t that Maya didn’t return his feelings -- on the contrary, she was as head over heels as he was; there were no doubts in her mind that Lucas was the one for her -- but it was that Maya didn’t want to evoke any hurt feelings. Riley had, of course, encouraged Maya to be with Lucas (she didn’t have feelings for him anymore, and saw through Maya’s lies -- Maya had never admitted she liked Lucas, but Riley knew) but part of Maya still worried. What if even Riley didn’t know?

Maya wiped another plate off and put it on the dishrack, then wiping her hands on her light blue apron that was tied around her waist. It was almost 9:00, which was when her shift ended. Maya stepped out from behind the counter, seeing Topanga hunched over a laptop, no doubt reviewing the sales from the past month. Maya was about to go wipe down the counters, when her phone began to rang. She slipped it out of her pocket -- seeing it was Zay, she picked up, assuming it was some outrageously false gossip. However, when she picked up, Zay’s voice was subdued and hoarse. Maya’s body started to ache with anxiety, worrying what could have happened.

“Zay, what’s wrong?” She asked, her own voice hushed in anticipation. There was some ruffling, and Zay cleared his throat.

“Maya, come down to Lenox.” A hospital in Greenwich.

“What happened?”

There was a pause before Zay answered. “It’s Lucas.”

Maya’s heart plummeted. She couldn’t speak.

“He got in a car crash. Come down here, please.” Maya was in shock. Her phone slipped from her hand and landed face down on the wooden floor. She picked it up and grimaced -- the screen was shattered. She shoved it back into her pocket, and rushed to grab her coat. She hadn’t taken her car to work -- could she get there by train? She didn’t remember Topanga was in the room until she spoke.

“Maya, Maya, what happened? Is everything okay?” Topanga’s concerned tone caught Maya’s ear.

“Lucas. He was -- it’s a car crash,” Maya choked out, already feeling tears pooling behind her eyes. She blinked them away. She wasn’t going to cry, she decided. “I have to get to Lenox. F-fast.” She stumbled on the last word, her voice turning husky and her throat dry. Topanga grimaced, and picked up her coat. 

“I’ll drive you.”

Maya thanked her quietly, and they turned off the lights and locked up the store. Maya had been right -- the snow was piled up, and surely inches away from having the roads closed. It was still coming down, thick and freezing. Topanga led Maya to her car, and they hopped in. Topanga began to drive, the windshield wipers on as fast as possible. The snow was making it hard to see -- no doubt what had led up to Lucas’s accident.

Lucas.

\-------

They were nearly there. Barely a few blocks away. Maya’s breathing was rushed and her heart beat fast. She felt a sense of urgency, and her body was revving like an engine. She had pent up energy, no doubt from the overwhelming anxiety she felt then. 

Lucas.

Topanga sighed, dropping her hands from the steering wheel. She and Maya were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, no doubt because streets were starting to be closed off. Maya’s mind was racing -- she had to get there, somehow, and fast. It was cold outside, slippery too, but surely she could run the few blocks. 

Maya groaned. She couldn’t wait for the traffic to subside, or for roads to be closed. Lucas was lying in a hospital bed, or maybe in surgery, or maybe in the morgue. No, Maya, she reprimanded herself. No worse case scenarios. “Maya, it doesn’t look like this road will be clear anytime soon,” Topanga said. 

“I’ll run.” Topanga frowned.

“It’s cold. And icy.”

“I’m careful.”

“Oh?” Topanga frowned, no doubt replaying all of Maya’s ridiculous stunts from the past 10 years.

“I-I have to see him,” Maya stammered, her heart skipping a beat. Topanga’s expression softened, realization dawning on her. She fidgeted, letting out a reluctant sigh.

“Be careful,” she said in an instructing tone, and Maya nodded, unbuckling and climbing out of the car. She peered down the street behind the car -- it was jammed there, too. She took off to the left, and began to walk fast. She paid no attention as her pace sped up, narrowly missing patches of ice. She was running now, but she didn’t care -- so what if she slipped? She had proved time and time again she was capable of getting herself back up and continuing to fight. 

 

Three blocks.

Snowflakes were in her eyelashes now, and she couldn’t feel her hands.

Two blocks.

Her left boot came untied, and her sock was slipping.

One block.

The hospital was now in sight. Maya skidded to a halt, nearly falling on her ass as she stopped herself in front of the doors. She dashed in, unzipping her coat, taking it and her hat off. The warm air of the hospital hit her, and for a moment she relished in it. However, there was no time for that. Lucas could be crashing. Maya regretted letting Riley turn on Grey’s Anatomy. Now every medical scenario was a worst case scenario.

She took herself to the main desk, slamming her frozen hands on the desk, catching the attention of the receptionist. Maya was running on adrenaline, her body shaking from both the cold and the horrible fear that Lucas was broken beyond repair. “Lucas Friar.” She swallowed, her throat so damn dry. “I’m h-here to see Lucas Friar.”

“There’s already a lot of people in his room,” the receptionist deadpanned, obviously fed up with having to send so many people too some teenage boy’s hospital bed. “I’m sure you can wait--” 

“I’m his girlfriend.” The receptionist softened a little bit, but still seemed reluctant. Maya was ready to pull all the stops -- yelling, crying, or maybe even violence. Before Maya could contemplate any of these options, she felt warm hands on her shoulder.

“It’s alright, Roni. I know her. She’s a good egg.” The woman was Layla Friar -- Lucas’ mother. Maya guiltily recalled her thought of punching the receptionist. 

“In that case…” Roni, the receptionist, seemed to ponder her options. “Alright. But no more,” she added sternly. Maya gave Mrs. Friar a grateful look, right before she wrapped her arms around Layla in a hug. Maya didn’t tend to be physically affectionate to anyone she wasn’t close to, but she didn’t care in that moment. Maya briefly wondered if Layla had heard her say she was Lucas’ girlfriend as she kindly led Maya down the hallways. Maya saw people of varying ages throughout the hall, most attached to IVs, some in wheelchairs. 

She’d always hated hospitals.

And now the love of her life was laying in one.

Layla stopped in front of room 117, opening the door and letting Maya in first. Maya’s heart plummeted as she surveyed the scene before her.

The light, light blue walls were probably meant to give the room some sort of cheer or optimism, but Maya felt neither. The windows, on her left, were covered by the shades, but the room was lit by the ceiling lights. Riley, Farkle, Zay, Smackle, Cory, and Thatcher Friar (Lucas’ father), were all in chairs surrounding Lucas. Their faces turned when Maya and Layla entered. Lucas laying in the bed, an IV in his arm. There were multiple cuts on his face, and some would surely leave scars. Lucas’ right hand was in a cast, and so was his right leg. His eyes were closed. Maya saw his heartbeat on the monitor, feeling a bit of relief seeing how constant and normal it seemed. There were scratches and scabs on his left arm. Maya let out a nearly inaudible gasp. She suddenly didn’t see anyone else in there but Lucas. Not giving a damn, she dashed over to him and threw herself on the bed, sobbing into Lucas’ chest. The rest sat there solemnly, watching Maya cry. Riley got up, putting a hand on Maya’s shoulder. Everyone heard Maya say oh so quietly, “I love you.”

No one wanted to ask Maya for an explanation. Maya’s voice rose slightly in volume as she sobbed, “I love you. I love you. Oh, God, I love you.” She repeated it like a mantra. A few minutes passed, and Maya’s sobs subsided, and she stopped talking. She curled up to Lucas’ side.

The first to talk was Farkle. “The doctors said he’s lucky to be alive,” he said, his voice subdued. “He has a torn ACL, a broken leg, and a sprained wrist. Glass from the windshield all on his chest. They took him to surgery for something. He almost died, but they got his heart starting again.”

“His bowels ruptured,” Isadora piped up, taking over for Farkle. Maya appreciated the gentle tone in her voice, despite her rough words. “They were leaking into his chest. But the doctors fixed it.”

“Why did no one call me sooner?” Maya asked quietly. For a moment, no one answered. Riley spoke up.

“We knew you’d be upset. Really, really upset. We didn’t want to make you wait for him in surgery, and be updated that his heart had stopped and they were trying to get it back…” She trailed off, wiping her eyes. She settled back into her chair. 

Maya almost snapped back that she could handle herself, but she wasn’t so sure that she could. Imagining herself in the scenario Riley described, hearing Lucas didn’t have a heartbeat...she probably would have tried to run into the O.R. to see him. She didn’t say anything, but rolled a bit closer to Lucas so she could hear his heartbeat. It was steady and strong, and she relished in it. How many mornings had she woken up in his arms after a night of passion, hearing that same heartbeat? Taking it for granted? Why had she tried to keep them a secret? Who knew how much time they could have, and she’d wasted it. If Lucas died, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself, she knew that much. 

Zay’s eyes were red and puffy, and his voice was still hoarse as he began to speak. “We’re glad you’re here, Maya.”

Riley nodded. “It’s not right without all of us here with him.”

Thatcher, Lucas’ father, was hunched over in his chair, his body shaking from his silent tears. Layla was biting her lip. Cory was watching Maya and Riley, concern in his eyes. They were all a mess, Maya thought to herself. It seemed about right.

Maya wanted to tell her friends about her and Lucas. They must be figuring it out after her outburst of “I love you”s, or at least they would have questions. What if Lucas doesn’t want me to without him? She thought. 

But Lucas was unconscious in a hospital bed.

And they didn’t know if he would wake up.

Maya uneasily sat up and slung her legs over the edge of the bed. She ran her hand through her hair, taking deep breaths to ease herself. “You’re probably wondering what...this was all about,” she murmured. Riley nodded. The corners of Zay’s mouth curled up. “Well…”

What was the right way to say it? How could she express the months they spent together, how much they loved each other, how many times they had snuck off to be with each other? How could she say it as quick as possible, but letting all her friends know how she felt?

There really wasn’t a way for Maya to lead up to hit. She’d have to drop the bomb.

“Lucas and I have been dating.”

The room was quiet for a moment before she spoke again.

“We’ve been together since August 14th. And we, uh…” Maya trailed off. Maya and Lucas’ relationship was between them, and there were details she wasn’t willing to share without Lucas awake and sharing it with her. 

“So...that weekend you said you were going to the art fair upstate and Lucas went to see a veterinarian lecture?” Farkle inquired, sitting up in his chair, interested. In fact, everyone seemed a bit more cheery and alert. Maya was glad they were feeling better, even if she wasn’t.

“We were at a motel upstate.” Maya suddenly realized Lucas’ parents were in the room, but they seemed fine. Layla had a soft smile on her face as she looked at Maya. Thatcher had stopped crying, and shared a similar look on his face as his wife did.

Her friends all asked questions, like their whereabouts at certain times, and some more pointed and intimate questions from Zay -- some mild, such as questions about their dates, and some sexual that Maya was definitely not going to answer in front of Lucas’ parents, but might supply certain details to her friends.  
After a while, the group ran out of questions, and Topanga eventually arrived. Maya thanked her, and proceeded to call her mom and Shawn and let them know where she was. The group refused to leave, and all stayed the night; Maya curled up next to Lucas on his bed, Zay and Farkle on the small loveseat, and everyone else in their respective chairs. Maya slowly drifted off to sleep, comforted by the heat from Lucas’ body, reminding her that he was alive, and he was there…

\----------

_It was December 14th. Maya and Lucas were laying in Maya’s bed, the morning light shining in slightly from the half-open shades. Neither of them were clothed, and Lucas’ muscled arms were wrapped around Maya’s petite body. They were both awake, both blissfully happy._

__

__

_It was only them._

__

__

_Lucas took his arms from around her, and Maya sighed at the loss. He propped himself up on his elbow, smiling at her. Katy and Shawn were away for the week, so Maya was able to have Lucas over as much as they pleased. Lucas told his mom that he was having a sleepover with Zay, who covered for him even though Lucas gave him a vague explanation that he was seeing some girl._

__

__

_Huh._

__

__

_Some girl? No, Maya wasn’t just “some girl” to Lucas. She was the girl, the love of his light, and he was head over heels for her._

__

__

_And he would never let her forget that._

__

__

_“Don’t stare, it’s rude,” Maya quipped, smiling despite. Lucas wrinkled his nose at her._

__

__

_“Can’t help it.”_

__

__

_“Of course you can. You just don’t want to.”_

__

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_“No, I don’t.” He smiled -- that perfect smile that Maya loved._

__

__

_Waking up together was bliss. At the thought of spending the rest of her life waking up with him someday gave her chills -- it sounded too good to be true. Maya knew Lucas was a weak spot for her -- all of her friends were, but this was different. Sometimes when her mind wandered, she thought about what would happen if she lost him. But not today._

__

__

_Lucas leaned down and kissed her gently. Maya reciprocated, one hand running through his hair. “I love you, you big doof,” she said against his lips, and felt him smile._

__

__

_This is what heaven must feel like._

\--------

For the next three days, Maya didn’t leave the hospital. In fact, she barely left Lucas’ bedside. Riley stayed with her, as did Zay, but Isadora’s parents wanted her home as did Farkle’s. Maya spent her time in a chair by Lucas’ bed, sometimes watching his heart monitor for some sort of strange comfort. 

It gave her hope.

Hope? Maya scoffed to herself. No, this wasn’t hope. She had been hopeful. Each time, she was clobbered. Here was Lucas Friar, lying unconscious in a bed after a car crash. Hope. She had hoped for eternity with him. Now, it was all put in perspective. Anything could get in the way of them. How had she not considered it before? 

\--------

On the first day, it felt like there wasn’t any chance he could survive this. Maya stayed by Lucas’ side, when his monitor suddenly started beeping, and his doctors rushed in, yelling about how he was “coding.” Maya watched in horror as they tried to restart his heart, yelling things she vaguely recognized from watching Grey’s Anatomy with Riley. Luckily, his heartbeat returned. Maya didn’t even realize she had been wailing until the doctors had left.

\--------

On the second night, after Riley and Zay had dozed off (Riley on the loveseat, Zay spread across three chairs), Maya stayed in the chair she had been occupying. She looked down at Lucas, studying his even breaths, memorizing his peaceful face. He seemed calm. His eyes were closed, as if just sleeping.

What would she give to see his sea-green eyes right then and there?

When his heart had stopped, they had to restart it, and they took him into surgery later that day. Whatever they had done the first time had ruptured, and Maya didn’t really understand what the doctors meant when they were updating Lucas’ parents on what had happened. Lucas spent the second day just as unconscious as he had been the day before. 

It was past midnight. It was quiet, the only noises coming from down the hall, where some doctors and nurses were talking. Maya wasn’t used to the quiet. She didn’t get it a lot.

She began to whisper, her voice cracking. “I don’t know if you exist,” she murmured, looking up. “I don’t really believe in you. If you’re real…” Feeling a little foolish, Maya leaned on her elbows on Lucas’ bed. “If you’re real, please save him. God, please don’t take him. He’s only 18. Please, God, don’t take Lucas,” she croaked, half sobbing. She didn’t notice the tears that were slowly leaking from her eyes. “I’ll do anything. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”

She swallowed. “I want to believe in you. I want so hard to believe. Please. Don’t take Lucas…” Maya trailed off, burying her head in her arms. She cried silently, trying to control how much her body was shaking. 

She hoped against hope in that moment, praying, yearning for him to live. To survive. She couldn’t lose him.

\--------

On the third morning, Maya’s mother has brought her a change of clothes. No doubt Lucas’ parents had told her about the relationship between their children, which seemed to prompt Katy to be extra generous and supply Maya with a clean outfit. Maya went to the bathroom attached to Lucas’ hospital room, stripping down and putting on the underwear, sweater and jeans her mother brought. She went to the sink, turning on the faucet and splashing her face with the cold water. Feeling somewhat refreshed, she retreated back to her chair.

She lost herself in her thoughts, staring nowhere. With a lurch of her heart, Maya realized this is how she might’ve felt back in eighth grade if Lucas had been injured in his foolish bull ride. However she was worried then didn’t even compare to how she felt now. Her feelings were so much stronger now. Maya squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop reliving all this heartache and worry. It was worth it, though. For him.

Maya stayed in his room for most of the day, until 4:16 pm when Layla Friar asked Maya to step out with her into the hallway. Maya obliged, easing out of her chair and following the tall, auburn haired woman. The door shut behind her, and she turned to face Layla. “Is there something wrong?” Maya asked nervously. She had been hoping to avoid a conversation one-on-one with Layla for a bit longer. It was awkward enough now that she knew Maya and her son were dating (Maya dearly hoped that she hadn’t even considered the sexual part of their relationship. Oh, God, what if that was what this was about?), but Lucas was comatose. It just added a whole new level of complicated. 

“Not at all, Maya,” Layla reassured her, a soft smile on her kind, tanned face. “Well, you’re dating my Luke, and I…” she gaze drifted to the door of Lucas’ room, but she seemed to catch herself, and her eyes snapped back to Maya. “Well, you’ve made him happy. Now that I think about it, he’s been much more cheerful ever since the end of summer. And, well, that lines up with your relationship, doesn’t it?” 

“I guess so,” Maya replied quietly, her face flushed. Although she was usually confident around her peers, she wasn’t all that confident when it came to conversations like these. 

“I love my son, Maya. I want the best for him.” Maya swallowed, staring up at Lucas’ mother. “And I’m so glad he found someone as wonderful as you for him.”

Maya blushed even harder, feeling unusually awkward. “He’s not too bad himself,” she smiled, glad when she saw Layla smile back. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when RIley flew out from the room, a huge smile on her face. 

“Lucas. He’s awake. He’s awake!” RIley said quite happily, beaming as she looked at Maya and Mrs. Friar. Maya followed RIley back into the room. Lucas was sitting upright on his bed, his father helping him adjust his pillows. His broken leg was placed on the sling that was hanging down to keep his leg up. When he turned and saw Maya, his face was taken over by his big, goofy grin. Maya’s heart skipped, and she flew over to him, throwing herself on the bed and wrapping her arms around him. She wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying, but all that mattered is that when she hugged him, he wrapped his good arm around her, holding her tight to him. She took in his smell, which still smelled like pine and earth. Lucas had his chin resting on her head. He moved and kissed her on the top of her head. Maya squeezed her eyes shut, finally relaxing.

And again, it seemed it was only them in the world.

Maya pulled back from him, looking up at his face. His cuts were healing, most scabbed over, some already fading. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him like a woman deprived. She was so grateful that he was awake and he was alive. And he was holding her, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She melted into his embrace, his strong, muscled arm -- the good arm -- wrapped around her.

It was like stepping into the sun after a month of darkness.

“You idiot,” she half laughed, half sobbed, pulling back from him reluctantly. “You stupid cowboy. You’re so -- so --”

“Dumb?” Lucas supplied, cocking an eyebrow. She shot a stern look at him, but she softened. How was it so hard to stay mad at someone who had just woken up from a three-day coma?

“Why were you driving in a snowstorm? On these icy roads? What is wrong with you?” She was furious, suddenly, that he could have done this. Did he have any idea what he had done to her? Or even worse, what he had done to himself?

“I was getting your secret santa gift. I was driving back home when a car came skidding out of nowhere as I was driving, near the freeway, and it crashed right into me.” He sighed, grimacing as he recalled his accident. “The car must’ve flipped into the grass or something…” Maya nodded, letting him know he didn’t have to keep talking about it. He smiled gratefully, and she eased back into his arms, leaning against him. 

“I’m glad you’re alive,” she murmured into his chest. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you, too. So much.”

\------

Lucas spent a sizable amount of time in the hospital after he had woken up. His sprained wrist was healing quickly, and he was recovering from his surgery quite well. His broken leg was put into a new cast, and his doctors had him regularly trying to get him up and down the hallways on his new crutches. Unfortunately, the broken leg meant Lucas’ wouldn’t be able to continue to play on the baseball team that year, which had definitely bummed Lucas out. 

Maya laid by his side on the bed, her head on his shoulder. She had told Lucas how everyone now knew about their relationship, which seemed to cheer Lucas up after the more unfortunate news. He had his arm around her, just chatting with their friends. Maya finally felt like she could relax. Lucas was alive. Lucas was healing. 

She didn’t need anything more. 

\--------

“Alright, Zay, this one’s for you,” Riley said, passing a box wrapped in green wrapping paper to Zay. He unwrapped it, and opened the lid of the box. “Sweet!” He said, holding up a pair of sunglasses. Not the crappy ones, either. “Alright, who do you think got me this?” He asked, grinning. 

“Not me!” Riley yelled.

“I think it’s Riley,” Farkle laughed.

“Oh, definitely,” Maya said, stifling her laughter.

“Fine, it was me,” Riley grumbled, but cheering up when Zay hugged and thanked her.

They kept exchanging the gifts, sitting around the coffee table at Topanga’s. Riley reached over and picked up a wide and relatively thin package for Maya. She unwrapped it, and her heart swelled. “I’ve been wanting these for forever!” She turned to Lucas and narrowed her eyes playfully. “You’re such a sap, Friar. Only a Huckleberry would remember me mentioning these. I showed you them months ago.” Lucas tipped an imaginary hat, and Maya scowled. Lucas laughed, and Maya softened at it. “Thank you, Lucas,” she murmured.

“It was worth it.” 

She cracked a crooked smile. “To see the look on my face?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Maya shook her head and kissed him, pulling back when Farkle coughed uncomfortably. 

When it was time to go home, Maya grabbed her car keys. She was driving Lucas home, as his leg was still broken. He made his way to the door on his crutches, and Riley pulled Maya to the side. “I made sure you guys got each other for secret santa,” she confessed, her face a little sheepish. “I was trying to set you up. Or something like that.” 

“Well, I appreciate the effort, Riles.” Maya hugged Riley before turning to leave. “You ready to go, Huckleberry?”


End file.
